The attachment together of metal sheets by making a spot weld between the metal sheets is well known and widely used in the manufacturing industries. The spot weld is typically made by positioning the metal sheets against one another and then applying a pair of electrodes to press the sheets tightly together. Weld current is passed between electrodes to melt the metal and thereby create a weld nugget between the metal sheets. In general, the tenacity of the spot weld is proportional to the diameter of the weld nugget.
A common method for testing and examining a sample spot weld is to forcibly peel the metal sheets away from one another and then measure the diameter of either the weld nugget of the hole that is formed when the nugget tears away from one the sheets. The peeling apart of the metal sheets is typically performed by gripping the bottom sheet in a vice and then using a pair of handheld nipper pliers to grip the top sheet. The nipper pliers must be manually squeezed together by the operator in order to maintain an effective grip on the top metal sheet while the nipper pliers are rotated to peel the top sheet away from the bottom sheet.
It would be desirable to provide a new and improved tool for accomplishing the peeling apart of a weld sample between two metal sheets.